LAS VEGAS — The quietest man in the dressing room of the Vegas Golden Knights made the loudest introduction to the Stanley Cup final on Monday night.

Tomas Nosek wasn’t sure what to say or what to think or even what to feel after suddenly becoming a somebody in Game 1 of the championship round between the expansion Golden Knights and the unlikely Washington Capitals. He scored the winning goal and followed it with an empty-net goal and, afterward, he stood almost numb, barely smiling, barely expressing any excitement on what was certainly the hockey night of his life.

“He’s pretty strong for a skinny guy,” said his centre, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

And, now, a new Stanley Cup hero is born, with a moment like this one, an ending like this, the story of the Golden Knights gone awry, crazy before the Stanley Cup final began, just a little bit crazier today.

They came from behind, after leading, then trailing, then leading, to beat the Capitals 6-4 — a record-breaking four lead changes — in Game 1 of the final on an electric evening of Stanley Cup play that didn’t look like any Stanley Cup play we’ve seen in years. The nobody, Nosek, scored the winner, followed it up with an empty-netter after linemate Reaves, not here to score goals, scored to tie the game 4-4 in the third period.

A line that usually doesn’t play a whole lot when it matters scored three third-period goals, which is so Golden Knights, this team defying logic and probability and just about everything else along the way. Three goals for a line that played just more than three minutes in the first period.

Nosek, who scored the first goal in Golden Knights home history, added the largest one in its most recent history, converting a Shea Theodore pass to give Vegas the Game 1 win.

Afterward, Nosek stood patiently and smiled and answered questions and tried really hard to be interesting and kept looking for some kind of encouragement, even from media asking questions, as this was completely new to him.

Normally, there is no one asking about him anything, no one caring, no one probing: Instead, this was one of those rare “Who Are You” moments of a Stanley Cup night.

Who is Tomas Nosek?

“He has a big ass and big legs,” said Fleury. “That’s the one thing I notice about him. He may look skinny if you don’t look at the lower half. But I can tell you, that’s a big ass and big legs on him.”

There is a story behind every player on every team, even if some aren’t able to tell it. Nosek has never been any kind of hot prospect.

He was undrafted in the NHL, signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent, spent almost three full seasons in the American Hockey League, never scored more than 15 goals in any season, never registered with anyone, and wasn’t exactly considered a difference-maker when he made his way to Vegas. He was a body. A guy. A body with thin arms, a thin waist and, as Fleury pointed out, a big ass.

His biggest goal before Monday night: A goal from Game 1 of the Calder Cup final a year ago, scoring with 13 seconds left to beat the Syracuse Crunch. A winning goal last year. A winning goal last night, and the people celebrating the most, outside of the usual throng of Vegas supporters, were Miroslav and Daniella Nosek, his parents.

They got off a plane in Vegas, having travelled from the Czech Republic, to watch their son play. This was their first trip to the Stanley Cup. This was their first time seeing their son on such a stage. The biggest goal, before the Syracuse goal, was a goal he scored for the Czechs against Russia in a Euro Cup game. “You know what it’s like, Czechs and Russians, those are always big games.”

Being able to win was one thing. Being able to score was another. Being able to do it in front of his parents, that was almost the topper. “That’s the dream, right,” he said. “The winning goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But to do it in front of my parents. Since I was a little kid they taught me to be a good person. Standing here, I would like to say thanks to them. Thanks for doing what they’ve done for me.”

“We didn’t expect a game like this,” said Smith, talking as much about the wide-open nature of the night than the three third-period goals from the line that no one fears.

“He’s really quiet,” Smith reiterated about Nosek. “Truth, no one really knows him here. But it’s huge. Huge for him. Huge for us.”

When my assistant said there was a call from the White House, I picked up, said 'Hello' and started to ask if this was a prank

This Week's Flyers

Comments

Postmedia is pleased to bring you a new commenting experience. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Visit our community guidelines for more information.